TYLER, Texas -The UT Tyler Women's Basketball team closed out their weekend home stand with a matchup against Howard Payne on Saturday in the Herrington Patriot Center. The Patriots defeated the Yellow Jackets 68-59, improving to 8-5 overall. 

Carissa Spiker opened her 27-point performance with a jumper just 1:10 into the game. Howard Payne answered :37 later to tie the game for the first and only time on Saturday. Bianca Valderrama would record a layup with 7:49 on the clock and the Patriots would hold their lead through the final buzzer. The Patriots pushed their lead to 11 points with just under two minutes left in the first after Tori Shoemaker went 1-2 at the line. A late three cut the lead to eight before the Patriots regained their 11 point advantage as the first quarter buzzer sounded. The Yellow Jackets responded with 18 points in the second quarter while holding the Patriots to 13, cutting the lead to six at the break. 

The third quarter saw the Patriots and Yellow Jackets combine to score 33 points as the Patriots picked up 16 of those points. The one-point advantage for HPU cut the lead to five after 30 minutes of play. HPU brought the game within two points with six minutes remaining before UT Tyler pushed their lead back to nine. Five points is as close at the Patriots would allow HPU to come in the final five minutes of play as a pair of free throws from Spiker gave the Patriots the 68-59 win. 

BY THE NUMBERS:
The Patriots have opened 2019 with a pair of wins on their home floor after defeating Sul Ross State on Thursday. UT Tyler shot 40% from the field while connecting on seven shots from beyond the arc. The Patriots recorded 17 points at the line and 26 in the paint. The Patriot bench added 12 points while UT Tyler recorded 15 points off of turnovers and 10 second chance points. 

UT TYLER LEADERS:
Spiker led the way for UT Tyler, scoring 27 points in 35 minutes, adding nine rebounds and four steals. Bianca Valderrama added 16 points, four rebounds, and an assist. Tori Shoemaker was the third Patriot to record double-digit points as she put up 10 points and grabbed five rebounds. Samantha Odom recorded eight rebounds in the win.